Romeo and Juliet

Level
Suitable for teenagers and young adults, at intermediate level and above.

Timing
Main activity:
Extension a:
Extension b:
Extension c:

45 minutes.
15 minutes.
2030 minutes.
2030 minutes.

Aims
Main activity: rhythm and intonation; making arrangements.
Extension a: adverbs of manner: arrogantly, coolly, enthusiastically, dismissively,
persuasively, excitedly, slightly interested, admiringly, passionately.
Extension b: reported speech: asked, told, replied, suggested.
Extension c: writing.

Steps
1. Tell the class they are going to hear a dialogue between a girl and a boy. Read the poem to
the class with clear intonation, demonstrating the attitudes of the two speakers.
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So I said to her, Whats your name? (arrogantly)
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She said to me, Whats your game? (coolly)
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So I said to her, I think youre great. (enthusiastically)
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She replied, Youre too late. (dismissively)
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So I said to her, Will you come out tonight? (persuasively)
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She said to me, Are you all right? (sarcastically)
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So I said to her, Lets fix a time. (persuasively)
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She replied, I could do nine. (coolly)

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This resource has been adapted from Tombola (Nelson, 1992) by kind permission of the authors, John Palim, Paul
Power and Phyllis Vannuffel

Romeo and Juliet

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So I said to her, Where shall we go? (excitedly)
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She said to me, How should I know? (dismissively)
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So I said to her, Well go in my car. (boastfully)
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She replied, Will we go far? (slightly interested)
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So I said to her, I drive a Rolls Royce (boastfully)
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She said to me, I like your choice (admiringly)
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So I said to her, Ive got lots of money (coolly)
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She replied, I love you, Honey (passionately)
2. Ask questions to check the students comprehension. For example: Does he like her? Does
she like him? What happened in the end?
3. Repeat the verse line by line and tell the class to help you write the lines on the board,
including the stress marks.
4. Tell the class to repeat the lines after you. Check individual repetitions.
5. Ask students to practise the lines in pairs, preferably a girl and a boy. Go round checking
pronunciation, especially intonation.
6. One pair can come to the front of the class and act out the direct speech only.

Extension a: adverbs of manner

1. After step 3 above, give each pair of students a set of the adverbs cards from page 4.
2. Check they know the meaning of each adverb.
3. Read the poem line by line and ask students to put them in order according to how each
line was said. Allow students time to discuss each line before moving on to the next.
4. Finally, read the poem one more time without stopping so students can agree on their
definitive answer.
5. Give whole class feedback. There may be several possible answers, for instance,
arrogantly and boastfully could be interchangeable as could coolly and dismissively.
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This resource has been adapted from Tombola (Nelson, 1992) by kind permission of the authors, John Palim, Paul
Power and Phyllis Vannuffel

Romeo and Juliet

Extension b: reported speech

After practising intonation (step 6 above), ask students to help you write the first line of the
dialogue in reported speech.
Example:

I asked her what her name was.

Tell students to continue reporting the dialogue in pairs, the boys writing the first line, the girls
the second and so on. If necessary, model told, asked, suggested etc. before setting the task.

Extension c: writing
Ask students in pairs to make their own dialogue using the lines.
Example:

So I said to her
She said to me, etc.

They should read or act these out to the rest of the class. The lines do not have to rhyme, but
you could give suggestions to any pair who are trying to make rhymes.

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Page 3 of 4

This resource has been adapted from Tombola (Nelson, 1992) by kind permission of the authors, John Palim, Paul
Power and Phyllis Vannuffel

Romeo and Juliet

admiringly

arrogantly

boastfully

boastfully

coolly

coolly

coolly

enthusiastically

excitedly

dismissively

dismissively

passionately

persuasively

persuasively

sarcastically

slightly interested

www.teachitworld.com 2010

13720

Page 4 of 4

This resource has been adapted from Tombola (Nelson, 1992) by kind permission of the authors, John Palim, Paul
Power and Phyllis Vannuffel